Title: President and CEO of Decisionmark, a technology and data company focused on broadcast spatial analysis that is based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Background: Mr. Perry joined the company in 1996 after working at several software companies, including Interactive Resources, CE Software and Powercore. At Decisionmark, he led the development of the company’s patented Geneva technology, which allows for household mapping of broadcast signal coverage and is the basis for the majority of Decisionmark’s software products.
Focus: “I am focused on where we are going to be as a company in 2004,” Mr. Perry said. “I look long and hard about where interactive TV is going and where the convergence between the TV and the PC is. I spend a lot of time trying to figure that out. As technology people, our job is to make it seamless [for the consumer].”
Interactive TV: Decisionmark’s consumer application, TitanTV.com, is an online interactive program guide that lets viewers determine what digital and analog programming is available in their area. The success of the product will depend on Decisionmark’s success in striking partnerships, Mr. Perry said. To that end, his company has aligned with Hauppauge to integrate its application into Hauppauge’s TV and digital video boards for PCs. “I believe convergence is going to happen with respect to the PC and TV-putting TV capability on the PC,” he said. “On the PC, our content guide becomes the equivalent of a cable set-top box. “With the transition from analog to digital, the ability to watch digital TV over the air will increase. The most cost-effective way to watch is on a PC equipped with an HD tuner card. Ultimately, all devices in the house will be the same. … There will be a consumer experience where all devices will be connected.”
Spectrum use: Mr. Perry predicts that most TV stations will use their digital spectrum to rebroadcast their programs, essentially datacasting yesterday’s shows. “TitanTV is the way to figure out which datacast is available to you as the consumer,” he said.
The future: “We are working very hard on helping local broadcasters use the Internet to broadcast to only those people who [can receive the] over-the-air signal. If you limit your signal, you don’t have to pay increased fees. Using Geneva technology, you’ll see TV and radio stations pilot this technology at the end of this year or early next year,” he said.